On 4 May 2007 AlpTransit Gotthard announced that the contract for the rail engineering works in the Gotthard Base Tunnel had been awarded to the Transtec Gotthard consortium.
The Transtec Gotthard consortium is the general contractor for the rail engineering on the Gotthard Tunnel and comprises the following four companies: Atel Installationstechnik AG (lead management), Alcatel-Lucent Schweiz AG/Thales Rail Signalling Solutions AG, Alpine Mayreder GmbH, and Balfour Beatty Rail GmbH. Transtec Gotthard is also aided by a number of other partners: ABB Schweiz AG, Burkhalter AG, IBM Schweiz AG, Kummler+Matter AG, Pöyry Infra AG, Scheuchzer AG. A team of more than 100 engineers and skilled personnel worked for over 9 months on the preparation of the tender. This work produced a high-calibre technical tender offer of the highest quality with a competitive cost-performance ratio. All of the companies involved in the consortium bring outstanding expertise and a wealth of experience to the project, having worked on projects which include the rail engineering contract for the Lötschberg Base Tunnel, the construction of the Eurotunnel between France and Great Britain, and the construction of the new high-speed line between Nuremberg and Ingolstadt with speeds of 300 km/h.
The four companies involved in the Transtec Gotthard consortium are the leading companies in their fields and are well able to meet the high demands of the Gotthard project. Atel, Alcatel-Lucent/Thales, Alpine Mayreder and Balfour Beatty Rail bring a wealth of know-how and experience in the fields of trackwork, overhead contact lines, rail safety, rail and tunnel engineering, telecommunications, power supply, logistics, and design and implementation. The commercial strength of these companies provides a high-level of financial security and ensures the continuity necessary for the duration of this unique project. The work contracted covers the installation of rail engineering equipment for the Gotthard Base Tunnel and includes the equipping of both single-lane tunnelways which are each 57 km long, as well as the adjoining open North and South sections totalling approximately 11 km in length up to the connection with the existing rail network
The rail engineering installations include the trackwork, power supply and cable equipment, the installation of light and power, overhead contact lines and switchgear, tunnel control systems, data networks and plant communications, tunnel radio system, as well as signal boxes, rail control technology and a new signal and train control system. Extensive temporary services and facilities for logistics and transport, such as construction railways, workshops, storage halls, accommodation, cooling and air systems, power supply, radio and telephone are also needed to facilitate the installation of this equipment in the Gotthard Base Tunnel. The contract for the final large-scale development stage is scheduled to be signed in autumn 2007. Following on from this Transtec Gotthard will develop the implementation project, and once the Federal Traffic Office (BAV) has given the go-ahead, work will commence at the rail installation site in Biasca. Work on the installation of the rail engineering at the southern entrance will start around the beginning of 2009, and will commence at the northern entrance around 2012. The construction work is estimated to take around 7 years. The first scheduled commercial operation of the Gotthard Base Tunnel is scheduled for 2017. AlpTransit Gotthard’s decision is particularly gratifying for Transtec Gotthard and Balfour Beatty Rail as it offers them the opportunity to showcase Balfour Beatty Rail’s know-how in multi-disciplinary rail construction projects in the public transport sector. Balfour Beatty Rail is well equipped to meet this challenge. |